Agenesis of the gallbladder

Agenesis of the gallbladder
This is a condition in which the gallbladder fails to develop. This happens in approximately one out of every 1,000 people. Gallbladder agenesis occurs alone in more than two-thirds (70%) of cases. The person with isolated gallbladder agenesis is healthy. No treatment is needed. The prognosis (outlook) is excellent. Gallbladder agenesis occurs in association with additional malformations in the remaining (30%) of cases which fall into two groups: one (9%) with atresia (failure of opening) of the bile ducts, and the other (21%) with normal bile ducts but distant abnormalities such as ventricular septal defect (a hole between the ventricles of the heart), imperforate anus (blind rectum with no anus), malrotation of the gut (failure of the intestines to rotate normally during embryonic development), renal agenesis (absence of a kidney), and syndactyly (fusion of fingers). Agenesis of the gallbladder is most often a sporadic (unpredictable) occurrence with no clear cause. However, there are families in which the condition has occurred in several members suggesting that there are hereditary forms of gallbladder agenesis. Children with gallbladder agenesis plus distant malformations tend to have trisomy 13 or another chromosome abnormality that carries a poor prognosis.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gallbladder absence — This condition, also known as agenesis (failure of development) of the gallbladder, occurs in approximately one out of every 1,000 people. Gallbladder agenesis is an isolated abnormality in more than two thirds (70%) of people with agenesis. The… …   Medical dictionary

  • Gallbladder agenesis — This is a condition in which the gallbladder fails to develop. This happens in approximately one out of every 1,000 people. Gallbladder agenesis is an isolated finding in more than two thirds (70%) of people. The person with isolated gallbladder… …   Medical dictionary

  • syndrome — The aggregate of symptoms and signs associated with any morbid process, and constituting together the picture of the disease. SEE ALSO: disease. [G. s., a running together, tumultuous concourse; (in med.) a concurrence of symptoms, fr. syn,… …   Medical dictionary

  • Endocrine system — In physiology, the endocrine system is a system of glands, each of which secretes a type of hormone directly into the bloodstream to regulate the body. The endocrine system is in contrast to the exocrine system, which secretes its chemicals using …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”